Election day after: Cliffhangers, the fate of Stacey Abrams and stuff we don't know yet

Georgia's hotly contested and potentially historic governor's race may not be over yet, with Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp awaiting the final accounting of absentee and provisional ballots. (Nov. 7)
AP

The parties are over and the balloons have crashed to the ground after Tuesday's electoral races across the nation, but a few of them remained close enough for uncertainty to roll into Wednesday.

Races for governor in Georgia and the U.S. Senate in Florida and Arizona were too close to call, and the exact party breakdown of Congress was yet to be determined.

In Georgia, Stacey Abrams' historic effort to become the nation's first African-American female governor was on a political respirator Wednesday. GOP candidate Brian Kemp, the secretary of state, led with about 50.4 percent of the vote and said he was confident he would emerge the victor.

Abrams' camp said it expected that a count of mail-in ballots would be enough to drop Kemp below the 50 percent threshold and force a runoff next month. A Libertarian candidate claimed almost 1 percent of the vote.

As absentee ballots were counted Wednesday, Kemp led by about 67,000 votes of more than 3.9 million cast.

"Lots of questions tonight from media & others on how many outstanding ballots," Abrams campaign manager Lauren Groh-Wargo tweeted Wednesday. "Ask @BrianKempGA. This is PUBLIC INFORMATION we don't have. He took an oath to SERVE & has breached the public trust. GA deserves better."

“There are votes left to count, but we have a very strong lead,” Kemp said. “And folks, make no mistake, the math is on our side to win this election.”

In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott declared victory in his Senate race over Sen. Bill Nelson, but Nelson's camp refused to concede. Only 38,717 votes separated the two candidates out of more than 8 million votes cast. The count could end with Nelson within a 0.5 percentage point of Scott, close enough to trigger an automatic recount.

"We are proceeding to a recount," Nelson said in a brief statement Wednesday.

In Arizona, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema slightly trailed Republican Martha McSally, and Angela Green, the Green Party candidate, had 2 percent. An official victor may not be known for days and possibly longer if the final tally triggers a recount or legal challenge.

In Maricopa County, the state's most populous county, the Recorder's Office processed “late early ballots,” which include those dropped off at polling places on Election Day, spokeswoman Murphy Hebert said.

“That’s going to take days,” Hebert said.

In the U.S. House, Democrats won at least a handful more seats than the 218 required for a majority. More than a dozen races remained too close to call. Wednesday, President Donald Trump mocked GOP representatives, including Utah's Mia Love, who rejected him and lost their races.

“Mia Love gave me no love, and she lost,” Trump said at a news conference. “Sorry about that, Mia.”

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Bob Hugin, the Republican candidate in the New Jersey Senate race, covers his eyes while giving a concession speech to his supporters at the Stage House Tavern in Mountainside, N.J., Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. Amy Newman, The Record, via AP